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Alex Pangman

Although Toronto’s Alex Pangman grew up a couple of generations late to have sung with Teddy Wilson, the vibrant young vocalist is proud to be known as Canada’s Sweetheart of Swing. With pipes aplenty, Juno nominee Pangman possesses the requisite taste, talent and the historical knowledge of an avid record collector to breathe new life into the sturdy standards of the classic jazz era.

Her latest album Alex Pangman’s Hot Three (November 2017) was recorded in New Orleans (as with her previous Juno nominated release ‘New’). Pangman and her ‘Hot Three’ approached this new project in the spirit of early jazz recording pioneers. They recorded the album live, direct to acetate 78 rpm disc, on a 1930’s portable Presto lathe. No smoke. No mirrors.

“Unlike most contemporary recordings, there’s no post-production editing where effects could be added, errors fixed, or singer/instruments baffled to avoid studio bleed. We experienced what the early recorded greats would have, recording with no headphones, and with instruments placed for optimum audio using a single microphone. Tempos and arrangements had to be tailored to a maximum 3:15 recording time to fit the strict 10-inch disc width. And no toe-tapping allowed, because vibrations travel up the needle and spoil a take. Many of the tunes on this recording are of the hot and bawdy sort one might expect from a one-room studio at the side of the road in New Orleans. Every recording is a time capsule, and this is ours live off the floor in New Orleans, March 2017.” – Alex Pangman